Tuesday, September 27, 2011

I don't understand the recent revolts against the Facebook changes. People have forgotten that this a free service, and though it's become an invaluable tool for how we communicate and connect with each other- we are under no obligation to use it.

I'm also confused by people's reluctance to adopt change. If that were alway the case- they wouldn't have started using facebook to begin with. And while there is comfort in the familiar, there is also excitement in the new. And while it might be confusing at first- facebook was confusing at first. What the heck was a "wall" anyhow? Like?? I don't think so. Now it's my favourite function.

I think some of the issue is that these changes just happen- and they are out of our control, and without our opinion or input. But if we choose to embrace it (I downloaded the timeline early so that it was something I adopted vs having it thrust upon me) then we're more likely to "like it" as we have some ownership over it.

Finally Mark Zuckerberg (despite differing opinions) is not a stupid man. And he likely does not employ stupid people. There are people who study socialization, how we interact with each other, dreaming up new ways to connect and tell our stories. Not all of it will work, not all of it will be great. But a lot of it will be- creating a richer, better experience.